


The Tale of the Hawk

by Tui_and_La



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amestris, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship, Ishval, Mystery, Riza Hawkeye is a hawk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-28 19:21:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17188874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tui_and_La/pseuds/Tui_and_La
Summary: "They say your eyes are a raging river on a storm when they scan a landscape, and your aim surpasses that of nature’s greatest hunters and of our best weapons. From now on, I’ll call you Hawkeye."





	The Tale of the Hawk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ruikosakuragi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruikosakuragi/gifts).



> "Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here  
> Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion  
> Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!" 
> 
> \- The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins

There was once a village called Amestris located deep inland where rivers are born, and spread in a hilly open field blessed with fertility and delimited by a mountain. On that mountain lived a hawk, which was thought to be cursed. Some said the creature fed on human blood, others that it followed a cycle of harvest in order to live, or that it killed for pleasure, but the only certainty was that every month an Amestrian was found dead with marks of bird attack. 

The villagers were slaves of the sky, for they walked alert for a tinge of brown in the immensity of blue. No other animal sounded like the beast’s rasped, high-pitched calling, which hovered over the land and sent shivers down the spine of even the bravest men. In reality, it was quietness to take place before each attack. Many had been their attempts to kill it, but their weapons caused only temporary damage and only few of the brave volunteers survived. Countless times, they had also tried to capture their enemy, but it had an incredible eyesight and managed to avoid their traps. 

The bird seemed invincible and many villagers longed for the safety of distant lands. Nevertheless, in order to conquer new territory they had to face the forest’s inhabitants, the dark skinned and red-eyed people of the Ishval tribe. Although Amestris had advantage when it comes to weapons, the Ishvalan were numerous and the Amestrian chief never managed to win the conflicts. Eventually, a new leader took his place, supported by the villagers who were too proud to leave their prosperous land or to submit to the creature. The man’s double swords were a symbol of his strength, his agility had helped him escape the hawk’s harvest losing only an eye, and his determination had inspired people. The eye-patched man encouraged Amestrians to study magic in order to defend the population against Ishval and the hawk. 

Among the mages rose a young man with hair as dark as his eyes, which sparkled ambition and idealism. He grew up feeling the wind on his back as he ran those hills and challenged the hawk to come meet him. It never did, but what the wise ones would attribute to luck, a boy might wear as entitlement. Thus, he sought a wise mage who had left Amestris in order to live on the foot of the mountain, where most people were too scared to go. 

The hermit’s tired eyes brimmed with passion when the boy came to him, and they followed through with the lessons for a few years until he came to his final breaths. That day, the master gave his pupil a pair of gloves with a sigil, fruit of his research and source of the power of fire, saying that he was ready to meet the hawk. 

– Remember why you came to me. It’s the bird’s loyalty you need to conquer, not its submission. 

Thus, the fire mage returned to the village and announced his plan. The villagers observed a demonstration of his power with blue fears and green hopes. His aunt, the woman who had raised him, gathered courage and put her heavy heart aside to bathe him in blessings. The stern eye-patched man put a hand on his shoulder and granted him his trust; the beast had already come to harvest that month – he might have a chance to live. 

The man left to the mountain with a round of encouraging applauses.

He walked the tortuous path for most of the day, followed by the stones under his feet and the hot summer breeze carried by the youthful leaves he watched so closely in search for the hawk. Each passing hour, as his heart pulsed faster he took another sip from the flask to deny emotions he had never felt before. The mage wanted to stand as tall as the creature when they finally met. And once at the top, he spotted cinnamon feathers hanging from the branch of an oak tree beside a cave, and a pair of amber eyes already placed on him. 

Before he could open his mouth, the man saw himself covering his face with his hands. He grunted as claws dug on his arms and beak ripped his cotton shirt. Despite the blood warming his cheek, the man managed to avoid most strikes as he ran and rolled on the floor. _I didn’t come to hurt you! Please, listen! I need your help. I came for my people_ , he repeated until he realized his only options were to escape or attack. 

At the first chance, he took a good look at the bird and conjured a flame, aiming at its back. The animal let out a pitiful screech and trembled on the ground. Even more horrifying was what he found on the hawk’s back: the same patterns of the circle on his glove, although part of it had now been burned. 

\- You know this sigil. How?

The bird flew to the cave. He followed close behind to find it recoiled on the ground. 

\- I swear I didn’t want to hurt you. But when our lives are at stake, what choice do we have but to fight back? I just want my people to live in peace. We are the ones you attack, but you could attack our enemies instead. They have imprisoned us here, left us no other choice but to fight you. They are numerous and their territory is abundant, yet they would rather take us down then give us a piece of land. You don’t choose your targets. Maybe you don’t know what it is to care, but it makes us risk everything to help the ones we love. I’m willing to place _my life_ in your hands. Kill me if I ever deviate from this path, from seeking peace. Or fight me now, because I’m not leaving without you. 

The creature studied his glove, then it shot a brief but deep glance into his dark eyes before it bowed its head and spread its wings in a slow, elegant courtship. The hawk stepped forward until the man could see its back. It was completely healed now, except for a scar crossing the marked symbol. The mage could only guess his master had met the bird and studied the mark, but when the hawk faced him again, he was certain it trusted him with the power of that sigil. 

\- They say your eyes are a raging river on a storm when they scan a landscape, and your aim surpasses that of nature’s greatest hunters and our best weapons. From now on, I’ll call you Hawkeye. 

The bird led the man to water and fruits and he spent the night on the mountain, telling stories of his people while he treated his wounds, then resting. The mage was convinced the mystical animal could understand him because he felt his soul bare in its presence. Once he returned to the village, the two of them had formed a bond, and he was praised by his people and honored by his leader for the unbelievable deed. 

Yet, they craved for proof. 

The following morning the fire mage took the bird to a distant hill, away from curious eyes. That would become a ritual between them. The hawk would wait perched on his forearm until it found a good spot to take off. The man would lie on the grass and see nothing above him but the skies and the animal, and he would feel unstoppable. 

For minutes on end, he watched with deep fascination the majesty of the creature, how its wingspread revealed translucent feathers cutting the wind with the calm and precision of blades, how the sun turned its chest into gold and its tail into fire. Then he closed his eyes to the hawk’s calling and inhaled its peaceful melody.

\- The beast is hard to miss. – he heard his leader’s amused voice. – I see it isn’t the one I fought many years ago. 

\- Sir? – the mage was surprised by both the other’s presence and his comment. 

\- It may be the offspring. My job, young man, is to make sure we are safe. The hawk’s loyalty to you is undeniable, but is it loyal to Amestris? – the eye-patched man unrolled the scroll he was carrying with him. – This is an Ishvalan who has been causing a lot of trouble lately. Make the beast find him and kill him. 

\- Yes, sir. The name is _Hawkeye_ , sir. 

The man whistled and passed on the mission to the bird. He spent the rest of the day with the other mages, as he was now part of the defense forces. The hawk returned on the twilight, with blood sprinkled on its wings and claws. A proud smile parted his lips. Amestris no longer would live in fear. 

They prepared a celebration, they drank to victory, they even welcomed the bird. The other mages asked, admired or envious, how he’d managed to conquer the hawk’s trust. The man’s friends gathered and attempted to share the bird’s attention, although Hawkeye revealed itself quiet and unavailable. Some women shot him flirtatious looks and others invited him to a dance. He conceded a few brief ones, worried to let the bird alone among the crowd. 

Every single villager, even the skeptical ones, enjoyed the moment they so long craved for when they would be able to befriend the skies. 

\- The Ishvalan won’t be happy when they realize the bird is selectively attacking them. – his best friend, a man smarter than his bubbly nature, mentioned over his tenth beer. – They’re gonna fight back.

\- We have more mages than ever before. They won’t stand a chance. 

The fire mage dismissed his friend’s words at the time, but he was correct. Ishval didn’t know how to bend to the hawk, and in six months they started to show resistance.

The tribe attacked mainly through archery, the mages responded buildings walls from the ground; the fire mage burned their bows and arrows with precision. More archers appeared, and the mages used the environment as their own weapons; the fire mage burned their arms if so needed. The Ishvalan started to divide their enemies along the territory, and each mage did whatever needed to quickly take down a group; the fire mage caused some explosions more often than not. 

No Amestrian was getting hurt. They all felt safe.

It all changed once the conflicts ran out of the mages’ control. The eye-patched man recruited shooters and swordsman for support, and that left the villagers alarmed. Things weren’t any easier for Hawkeye. The creature still protected the fire mage in every mission, but the harvest was getting more challenging and each month the hawk took longer to find and kill the targets. 

\- I don’t care that you heal fast. I _know_ they are hurting you and I hate it. But they can’t lose forever, right? – he leaned in and tenderly touched his head against the hawk’s while caressing its feathers. 

The Ishvalan didn’t stand great chance against Amestrian’s pistols and rifles, yet they were resistant. At the time they started to retreat, the villagers started to die, from different archery than what they’d seen so far. The arrows were black instead of the usual brown and they were embedded in poison that, although not lethal, increased the chances of death. Innocent lives were lost along with the soldiers, all people who didn’t even want that war to continue. Like a vigilant working alone. 

When the man lost his best friend in that scenario, the hawk shared a heartache with a human for the first time. 

\- Go find shelter, Hawkeye. It’s about to rain.

Instead, the creature jumped from the gravestone to the cold ground where he was kneeling and welcomed the teardrops kissing its head with sorrow. 

Hawkeye discovered even more commitment on the man after the incident. He joined every mission and used his free time to investigate the unusual casualties with the help of his other friends. It was only a matter of time until he became a target. 

When the man was severely injured in battle, the hawk feared for a human life for the first time. 

He was on the border of the forest with a team when one of the man was hit by two arrows at once. The hawk only had time to spot the attacker. When its claws struck the hooded enemy, another pair of black arrows had already crossed flesh. Shocked, the bird let the killer escape and flew to the mage’s aid. 

Both men struggled to live. The hawk refused to return to the fight alone and stood by their side through the pain and the fever and the delirium.

\- I dreamed of you. Your soul… it smiled. The sun was your hair… It fell upon sinless eyes. 

The bird bent its head to the side, seemingly puzzled, and a chuckle gave the man strength to go through another night as it did for the next weeks. 

The eye-patched man grew impatient about their absence and required the fire mage to return to action. Seeing his friend crippled on the other bed filled the mage with wrath and he decided to stand up and fight, set fire to the forest if needed, anything to end that war and find the one responsible for his best friend’s death. He followed the lead of an Ishvalan with a scar on his forehead who was using magic. He had killed a couple of mages and gone missing, and he could be the one behind the different archery and the poison. 

When the man allowed vengeance to nest on his heart, the hawk felt betrayed by a human for the first time. And it no longer wanted to help. 

It was easy for the mage to forget how he had dragged the creature to a war that was solely his when the victories tasted so sweet, but the hawk observed everything from the skies and its voiceless eyes could only try to communicate their anguish. 

\- I’m begging you, don’t stop now. This man, the scarred Ishvalan, it has to be him. Make all the blood we’ve shed worth it. Make him pay! 

Chest puffed and wings unfolded in a single move. A threatening screech filled the room as the creature’s claws cut the space between them and forced the man to stumble backwards. He fell on the bed holding his breath, the bird on top of him gazing with fury and determination deep into his soul. Was it Hawkeye staring back at him, though, or was it a reflection of himself?

\- What happened to you? – he exhaled desolate words, but the bird was already flying through the window.

The fire mage didn’t sleep that night, waiting for the bird to return. He spent the morning watching the sky, the last three years passing through his head as the sun passed by the window. Later, he reported for the bird’s absence and promised to work hard in the meantime. He remembered the deal – the next life the hawk would harvest would be his. 

Days went by with no sign of the bird, and the news spread worrying the villagers. 

\- Hawkeye was overwhelmed, sir. With all the missions... 

\- The beast is a _merciless_ hunter. A traitor! Last night it killed one of my most important men, the crimson mage, and that blood is on you*, for letting it escape!

\- What? It can’t be… 

\- That beast’s loyalty has always been to you. If it had tears, it would be weeping for you when you were attacked! Now it’s turned against our people again, does it mean you’re a traitor, too? 

\- Of course not, sir! 

\- Our village will not ever live under the shadow of that abomination again. I want the hawk imprisoned. Capture it or die trying. 

The fire mage explained the situation to his aunt and friends and prepared to return to the mountain. They believed and supported him, but that wouldn’t be enough. He knew now his leader would never stop until the bird was dead or the entire tribe was in his hands. 

The moon was high when he found the oak tree again, but the bird wasn’t there. He scanned the place in all directions until he saw a faint shadow moving on the cave, shaped like a feathery tail. The cool air installed into his guts bringing shame to his courage as he moved to the dark entry. All he did was to kneel and put his bare palms on the ground.

– You can take my life tonight, if so you wish. I just need to apologize first. I’ve hurt you and used you for longer than I wanted to admit. I wanted to believe I was protecting my people, but I was enslaving an entire tribe. We were led to believe that the Ishvalan were cruel and despiteful because they never helped us escape from you, but all they ever did was to defend themselves and their forest. We had no right to think they should pay with their lives in our place. The bodies I burned will always haunt me, and I’m ready to pay for my sins. 

– You understood. 

The mage raised his head to find a woman standing in front of him. Her long dress kissed the floor and revealed part of the scarred symbol on her back. 

– You’re… human. 

– I am a hawk first. But I will become a woman one day. 

– You… just did. – he searched for words. – Aren’t you cold? 

He started to take off his coat, but she dismissed it. 

– No need. The wind is my friend. I’m only human for today. Sit, there’s no much time left, but I’ll tell you everything. When I first turned human, I was thirteen. I hated it. I could speak but I couldn’t fly and my sight was limited. I went for my father and he did this. – she turned her back to him. – He just cared about keeping his research safe. 

– Wait. My _master_ was your father? 

– Yes. My mother was a cursed hawk before me. Maybe we’ll never know our origins, but we start to kill after we first turn human. It is instinctive and the more we kill, the closer we get to permanently assuming our human form. My mother always had a soft heart. She moved many times because she observed humans and always ended up attached. Then she fell in love for the man who was passionate about the world. 

– No one listened to him when he proposed to find a way to live peacefully with the hawk. I know the story. 

– He moved to the mountain and spent his life searching a way to break the curse. I guess not even his magic ever made it possible. 

– And your mother…?

– She turned a second time, when she was 26, and you can guess what happened that night. The problem is she could no longer bear to hurt a human, and eventually she chose not to. Right before she died, she turned human one last time. Despite my gifted vision, I followed my destiny blindly. I only left this mountain to hunt, aware that if I saw too much I might start to care. Then you came and changed everything. 

– What do you mean?

– You had a purpose. Your words were fueled with passion and you defended life where I defended death. I had no way out of my killer instinct, but you had a _cause_. Maybe I could fight for something good, write my own destiny. Thus, I chose to follow you. 

– You were better off here. I don’t blame you for losing your faith on me. 

– I never did. – she hurried to him and placed a hand on his cheek. – I never did. I knew you were just lost when I left.

– Why did you kill the crimson mage? 

– He was a cruel man who delighted himself with every death. He was the main reason the Ishvalan were retreating, your leader sent him to wipe out entire families at once. Also, I was hoping the news would spread to Ishval in time.

– “In time” of what? 

– I’ve been observing Ishval from afar. My eyes can see what their mouths profess. The scarred man gathered a group to kill your leader. It’ll happen in two days, and we’re going to help. 

– The scarred man? The Ishvalan mage? – he put his hands on his temples. – This plan won’t stop the war, only cause a bigger commotion. We’ll be officially traitors. 

– Not if we find the woman behind the mysterious attacks. She wasn’t an Ishvalan. She had pale skin and her wavy hair was dark and long under the hood. Her violet eyes were filled with bloodlust. I haven’t seen her since, but she’s the key. 

– You’re saying our own leader sent her against us. Of course. He killed the ones who were speaking against the conflicts, and he wanted me out of the way in order to control you. You saw the truth faster than I ever could. 

– Of course. 

She giggled at his dumbfounded statement and drew a smile on his face. 

– You’re just like in my dream. Except for those innocent eyes… Should I still call you Hawkeye?

– You can. I’ve grown fond of it. Our time is nearly over. Let me tell you about their plan. 

The fire mage dreamed about the woman again that night. Although the hawk was his closest friend, he spent the next two days thinking about the beauty and elegance in the way she moved, or the calm and confidence in her voice, or even the experience she held in her young eyes. He had always been so focused on his goals that women were nothing but occasional nights of fun, rarer once the conflicts escalated. Now he wondered if he would ever see that one girl again. 

He put all those thoughts aside once he returned to Amestris. 

The fire mage walked to the exact place Hawkeye had informed and found that he was already late. Worse, it all indicated his leader was aware of the Ishvalan plans. 

The warriors had the scarred mage and a dozen archers while the Amestrian chief had one mage and a handful of soldiers by his side.

– A found one traitor! 

He turned around to find an Amestrian soldier smirking at him. 

– I came to help! – he announced himself loud and clear. – I brought Hawkeye back to us. 

They heard the hawk calling from up the sky and the sound of death echoed on through the night. 

– The beast is on our side. – the chief informed the defeated Ishvalan mage.

Both man were covered in wounds from a fierce fight, but while the scarred man was on the ground, the eye-patched man was getting back on his feet looking younger than his age. 

Like a shooting star, Hawkeye came from behind the chief and clawed his neck. He swayed his sword and she wasted no time before taking down a soldier who was about to shoot an Ishvalan, while the mage conjured an explosion against the one coming in his direction. 

– Traitor! – his leader jumped at him and the blades pierced his gloved hands, destroying the sigils he needed in order to conjure fire. – Amestris won’t forgive. 

The old man was clearly slower now that his head and neck were bleeding, yet that wasn’t enough to stop him. The hawk saw the mage in danger and returned for a second attack, but the furious chief was ready and pulled one sword against the bird. 

The mage’s pained groan mixed with the hawk’s agonizing screech and she fell on the ground. 

– HAWKEYE, NO! 

He expected no one to help in the middle of the chaos when the chief kneeled on the ground and broke the bird’s wings with his bare hands. 

– You will stay on a cage until your dying breath, your beast. 

To his surprise, that beast transformed into a woman, a shocked silence fell upon the battlefield.

The mage was as horrified as everyone else to see her weak naked body and the blood running down her neck. 

It couldn’t possibly be. She shouldn’t turn now. She had made it clear she wouldn't, anytime soon. Unless she was dying. 

The scarred man raised with his remaining strength and shot a mortal blow against his enemy. The gesture reminded the other warriors their mission that night and chaos installed once again. 

The mage fixated in her eyes as he ran in her direction, but she looked to the side instead. He followed her lead as he had learned to trust her vision. There was the hooded archer, coming out of the woods with her bow in hand. 

He grabbed the extra glove in his pocket and struggled to put it on with his trembling hands. When he looked back, an Ishvalan was taking Hawkeye away with him, and the woman was pointing her arrow directly at them. He conjured fire without a second thought and the woman’s screams put an end to the battle. The warriors escaped while the villagers went to the her aid. 

Hawkeye was gone. 

 

Every morning the fire mage went to the same spot on the border of the Ishvalan forest to watch the skies. He took off the shoes and rolled up the sleeves, then lied on the grass waiting for her. It felt like younger days, the same old wishes. Now he didn’t know whether to wait for a bird or woman, only that she had to be alive, because he couldn’t entertain the thought of losing her. 

The Ishvalan didn’t make any move after the successful ambush. Amestris chose a new leader, an old man who did not defend the conflicts and decided to be calculating in their next steps. Thus, the fire mage had no way to contact the tribe, so he followed his routine for over a month until the day the forest whispered her return. 

– Hawkeye. – he paid close attention to her, searching for signs that she was fine, and his eyes paused on the scar on her neck. – The Ishvalan let you live. 

– They asked many questions and I told them everything. They took care of me and waited to see if I would turn into a hawk again. But I won’t. That soldier was the last one I killed. In the end, their tribe believes in the power of nature, as well as destiny. And you? You killed the only person who could prove your leader’s actions…

– They found remains of arrows and the poison, and she resisted long enough to confess. 

– Why did she do it? 

He hesitated to reply. 

– She wanted revenge for her son. He was a sixteen-year-old boy with some mental problems. His mind was childish, he shouldn’t have been outside that day. So she did all her leader asked for a chance to kill you. 

– I don’t deserve to stay. Not after all I’ve done to innocent people in this place. 

– Let our new leader decide that with the villagers. He’s a wise and just man. The Ishvalan allowed you to live. We both could work to put an end to these conflicts. 

– I only came because my eyes craved to see you again. I guess my heart did, too. 

Hawkeye leaned in so that their foreheads touched and her nose danced over his. That had always been their way to show affection, but it was different now that the brevity of his warmth found her skin – it was better. 

– I know what you mean. 

He smiled and kissed her slowly to make room for her reaction. Her lips were invaded by a tingling sensation and she tightened her arms around his neck while pursuing his mouth for more. Like her instinct knew exactly what the next move should be, she tasted his tongue and left humid bites on his lips. There was the lightness of hovering and the thrill of height on that gesture, she concluded. 

– I still have a purpose here, Hawkeye. Will you follow me? 

Tenderly involved in his arms, her wings still missed the flights when she freely explored the skies, but never the ones when she was seeking preys. Her fingers caressed his head as a reminder that she couldn’t hurt him or anyone else anymore. She would stay and maybe the day would come to pay for what she’d done. 

In the meantime, they would continue to seek happiness for those people. They would help Amestris and Ishval coexist in peace.

– Do you even have to ask?

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a Fullmetal Secret Santa 2018 on Tumblr and it is my gift to @ruikosakuragi. When I saw that you liked AUs, I thought I wouldn't even come up with an idea, hahah. So I searched for fanarts on my folder and found one of Roy and a hawk and I remembered how much I'd love to read that. I started to experiment with this style and to enjoy the process A LOT more than the deadline allowed. I'm sorry that I put a lot of angst, but I hope the ending made up for it.  
> Happy 2019 to you and everyone reading! :D


End file.
